1. Field
The present invention relates to recreational vehicles and, in particular, relates to an improved method and system for deploying and retracting recreational vehicle slide-outs.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recreational vehicles are becoming increasingly popular with people who wish to retain the comforts and conveniences of home while spending extended periods of time away from home at remote locations. In more elaborate configurations, the recreational vehicle typically includes interior living areas with modern amenities and convenience fixtures. Also, a recreational vehicle may be easily parked at a wide variety of locations so that users may enjoy the amenities of the vehicle at their favorite destination. Consequently, people who use recreational vehicles may be assured of a comfortable living environment at their preferred remote destination without having to rely on the availability of suitable hotels.
In response to consumer demand, manufacturers have developed increasingly larger recreational vehicles. In particular, manufacturers have developed recreational vehicles with one or more extendable structures, commonly referred to as slide-outs, that provide the user with a supplemental living space when the vehicle is parked in a suitable location. The extendable structure are adapted to extend into a deployed position during when the vehicle is parked so that the interior living space within the recreational vehicle can be increased. The extendable structure is also adapted to retract into a retracted position when the vehicle is in motion or towed so that the traveling dimensions of the recreational vehicle are within the maximum allowed length and width.
The typical extendable structure or slide-out is positioned within an opening of the vehicle housing and is usually comprised of a plurality of walls that form the supplemental living space therein and an opening that provides access to the supplemental living space. In general, the walls of the slide-out may comprise an upper horizontal wall that forms either a single level planar ceiling, which may substantially align with an adjacent ceiling of the vehicle, or a step configuration, wherein the ceiling of the slide-out is dimensionally lower than the ceiling of the adjacent ceiling of the vehicle. In addition, the extendable structure or slide-out may also comprise an outer vertical wall that is adapted to align with an outer wall of the main housing, when the slide-out is placed in the retracted position. Also, a pair of horizontal walls may be utilized to join the upper and lower horizontal walls and the outer vertical wall together.
Moreover, the walls of the typical slide-out are comprised of a lower horizontal wall that forms a level planar floor, which may substantially align with an adjacent floor of the vehicle housing. Typically, the slide-out is lowered after deployment of the slide-out from the vehicle housing so that the lower horizontal floor forms a single level planar floor with the vehicle housing floor. Also, the slide-out is typically lifted prior to retraction of the slide-out within the vehicle housing. When deployed, many conventional slide-outs have a protruding lip section that extends from the slide-out floor to the vehicle housing floor and couples with a complementary lip section on the vehicle housing floor so as to form the level planar floor therebetween. Unfortunately, when the slide-out is retracted into the main housing, the protruding lip section of the slide-out floor reduces the width of the walkway thereby, which can be unsafe to passengers walking beside the retracted slide-out. For example, a passenger walking from the front to the rear of the main housing could trip over the protruding lip section of the slide-out floor and fall down causing bodily injury.
From the foregoing, there is a need to improve the structural safety of conventional slide-outs for recreational vehicles. To this end, there is also a reduced need for protruding lip sections on the supplemental floors of slide-outs.